Marko Rog

Marko Rog (Croatian pronunciation: [mâːrko rôːɡ];[1][2] born 19 July 1995) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Cagliari and the Croatia national team.

Marko Rog
Rog tackling countryman Duje Ćaleta-Car
Personal information
Date of birth (1995-07-19) 19 July 1995
Place of birth Varaždin, Croatia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Cagliari
Number 6
Youth career
2001–2006 Nedeljanec
2006–2013 Varteks / Varaždin
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2014 Varaždin 30 (17)
2014–2015 RNK Split 30 (7)
2015–2016 Dinamo Zagreb 40 (5)
2016–2020 Napoli 52 (2)
2019 → Sevilla (loan) 10 (0)
2019–2020 → Cagliari (loan) 30 (1)
2020– Cagliari 7 (0)
National team‡
2014–2017 Croatia U21 9 (1)
2014– Croatia 21 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 November 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2020

Club career

Early career

Rog started his senior football in 2013 with NK Varaždin, which was coming off being suspended in the 2011–12 season due to financial difficulties. The club, previously in the Prva HNL, were allowed back in at the 3. HNL, where Rog was Varaždin's top goalscorer, scoring 17 times in 30 league matches, as his side finished 7th.

He moved to Croatian First Football League side RNK Split in the summer 2014 for an undisclosed fee, though it did not help Varaždin, which folded in 2015 (no relation to the NK Varaždin (2012) club). On 28 July 2014, Rog made his professional debut for RNK Split playing against Istra 1961.[3] His first and only season with Split was highly successful, scoring nine goals in 44 appearances.

Dinamo Zagreb

In June 2015, Rog joined Dinamo Zagreb.[4] He signed a five-year contract with the club for a reported fee of €5 million; a record transfer for the Croatian league.[5][6] On 12 July 2015, aged 19, he made an official league debut for Dinamo Zagreb, coming on as a substitute for Ante Ćorić in a first league game of the season against Hajduk Split on the home stadium and also received a yellow card in the game.

Napoli

On 29 August 2016, Rog joined Serie A side Napoli on a five-year contract.[7] He scored his first goal for the club in 3–1 win over Atalanta on 27 August 2017. All 28 of his games in the 2017–18 season which he played in Serie A were played from the substitutes' bench, as were all of his other matches, except from one match in the UEFA Europa League and two matches in the Coppa Italia. He was versatile in this season, playing in the right and centre of midfield, and at centre forward, at various stages in the campaign. He scored one goal (against Atalanta) and made one assist (against Red Bull Leipzig). He received 4 yellow cards and played 251 minutes of football.

Rog made 1.2 tackles and 1.1 fouls per match in Serie A in the 2016–17 season as well as partaking in 1.2 dribbles per match in 373 minutes of game time, and in 2017–18 made 0.4 tackles and 0.4 fouls per game and made 0.4 dribbles per game in 251 minutes of game time, and in 2018–19 made 1.3 tackles and 1.3 fouls per match as well as 0.6 interceptions (his highest of any season), and 0.9 dribbles per match. He scored once for Napoli in the 2018–19 Serie A. He made his most starts for Napoli in the league in 2018–19. His passing success rate was always high in the league, ranging from 87.5-91.6% over the three seasons in the league. He has featured little in Europe for the Neapolitans.[8]

Sevilla (loan)

On 29 January 2019, Rog joined on loan to Spanish La Liga side Sevilla until 30 June 2019.[9] Rog started his first two matches for Sevilla in La Liga in defeats against Barcelona and Huesca. He also started in a 3–0 loss to Leganes and a 2–0 victory over Athletic Bilbao. He made six further appearances in the league from the bench. He featured in three matches in the UEFA Europa League. At Sevilla, his passing success rate was 86.4% and he was given two yellow cards.[10]

Cagliari (loan)

On 17 July 2019, Cagliari bought the footballer from Napoli. Rog joined Cagliari on loan with an obligation set at €18 million including bonuses.[11]

International career

On 12 November 2014, Rog made his international debut for the Croatia national team against Argentina coming as an 84th-minute substitute for Duje Čop.[12] He was part of the Croatian squad at the UEFA Euro 2016 in France. He was in the starting lineup for the team's final group match, a 2–1 win against Spain, which was his only appearance at the tournament.

A regular member of the Croatian squad during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Rog made five appearances as a substitute. In May 2018 he was named in Croatia's preliminary 32-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia but did not make the final 23.[13]

Style of play

Rog is regarded as highly talented prospect. He is most played in the attacking midfield and winger roles. Regular starting in the central attacking midfield position to build up play with his creative and sharp passing, he has been compared to the likes of Ivan Rakitić. However, Rog's explosive strength and pace make a him a very different player altogether. Rog is aggressive and has extreme balance making him very difficult to knock off the ball, but also allowing him to pressure and win balls either deep or higher up up the pitch. Napoli utilizes Rog in this way.

Rog has the freedom and ability to drop deeper into a central defensive midfield slot where he can tackle and win balls with his aggression. Thereafter, he is given the freedom to either drift wide and open up space for his side to counter-attack in to or run directly at the opposition defense towards goal.

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 7 November 2020[14]
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Europe Total
Division AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Varaždin 2013–14 Treća HNL 301710–3117
RNK Split 2014–15 Prva HNL 307717[lower-alpha 2]1449
Dinamo Zagreb 2015–16 3434112[lower-alpha 3]2506
2016–17 62006[lower-alpha 3]3125
Total 405411856211
Napoli 2016–17 Serie A 150202[lower-alpha 3]0190
2017–18 281207[lower-alpha 4]0371
2018–19 91002[lower-alpha 3]0111
Total 52240110672
Sevilla (loan) 2018–19 La Liga 100003[lower-alpha 2]0130
Cagliari (loan) 2019–20 Serie A 30121—322
Cagliari 2020–21 7010—80
Total 37131—402
Career total 1993219339625741
  1. Includes Croatian Cup, Coppa Italia and Copa del Rey
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, one appearance in UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 17 November 2020[15]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Croatia 201410
201500
201660
201740
201850
201910
202040
Total210

Honours

Dinamo Zagreb

References
  1. "Mȃrko". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 17 March 2018. Mȃrko
  2. "rȏg". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 17 March 2018. Rȏg
  3. "Split vs Istra 1961". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. "Marko Rog iz treće lige preko Splita u Dinamo: Ne znam kako bih opisao koliko sam sretan". Sportnet.hr (in Croatian). 30 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  5. http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/u-godinu-dana-od-3--lige-do-najskupljeg-igraca--hnl-a---u-mojem-kraju-svi-navijaju-za-dinamo--/1374854/
  6. http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/najveci-transfer-u-povijesti-hnl-a-dinamo-za-5-milijuna-eura-dovodi-veliki-talent-hrvatskog-nogometa/1374801/
  7. "Napoli, ufficializzato l'acquisito di Rog" [Napoli officially acquisition of Rog] (in Italian). S.S.C. Napoli. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  8. "Marko Rog Football Statistics". Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  9. "UFFICIALE: Napoli, via Rog in prestito. Va al Siviglia fino a giugno" (in Italian). Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  10. "Marko Rog Football Statistics". Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  11. "UFFICIALE: Cagliari, ecco Marko Rog in prestito con obbligo di riscatto" (in Italian). Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  12. "Argentina vs Croatia". Vavel. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  13. "Head coach Dalić presents 24-man Croatia squad". hns-cff.hr. Croatian Football Federation. 21 May 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  14. "M. Rog". Soccerway. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  15. "Marko Rog profile". eu-football.info. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
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